Mars shelter problem can be solved with engineered yeast, gelatin and sand: paper
Future settlers on Mars would need houses, but they must either spend huge sums transporting construction materials from Earth or use enormous amounts of energy to melt Martian soil into bricks. Scientists in Hong Kong say they have developed a quick and low-cost “living” building material made from genetically engineered yeast, gelatin and sand that can be 3D printed under conditions simulating…
Scientists in Hong Kong have developed a low-cost and quick "living" building material for potential Mars settlers. The material, made from genetically engineered yeast, gelatin, and sand, can be 3D printed under conditions that simulate the Martian environment, according to a study published in Chem Circularity, an international Cell Press journal.
The material's compressive strength of approximately 12 megapascals is around 170 percent higher than that of conventional building materials and within the range of traditional construction materials. The researchers created the material by modifying yeast surfaces to display adhesive proteins, which strengthen the links between the yeast cells, the gelatin binder, and the aggregate particles.
The material hardens during freeze-drying, forming a porous gelatin scaffold with yeast cells embedded in its walls. The engineered yeast helps create a uniform pore structure and strengthens the material. The study also demonstrated that the material can be remanufactured by crushing, rehydrating, and gently heating it, maintaining a compressive strength of around 11.8 MPa.
However, the material still depends on supplies from Earth, as only tens of kilograms of raw materials are required for 1 cubic meter, with the majority of mass consisting of gelatin and yeast nutrients. The team sees potential for applications on Mars and Earth, such as building Antarctic research stations.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
